Infiltrated aluminum-boron carbide (ABC) composites are known. They have been proposed as a replacement for costly hot pressed boron carbide ceramics. In making high ceramic content ABC composites, the aluminum must be reacted to form aluminum boride, aluminum borocarbide or aluminum carbide ceramic phases. Unfortunately, the ABC composites made to date have suffered from the need to start with expensive fine boron carbide powder or lack of impact strength due to the ceramic phases formed not providing a strong hard impact resistant composite that can provide the wear of a ceramic.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a material that overcomes one or more of the problems of the prior art such as one of those described above. It would also be desirable to provide a method of preparing the material.